California state Sen. Scott Wiener, a prominent gay Democrat who has spearheaded pro-transgender rights legislation, was surrounded and berated by protesters at San Francisco’s annual Trans March on Friday as they accused him of supporting genocide in Gaza.

Confrontation at Dolores Park

A video widely shared on social media shows Wiener, who is Jewish, walking through Dolores Park as a person films and follows him, along with several other protesters berating Wiener over his position on Gaza.

Wiener does not engage with the group as he tries to exit the park. Some protesters flash their middle fingers and, at one point, accuse him of being “genocidal” and having “Zionist handlers.”

Wiener, a candidate in the race to replace retiring Rep. Nancy Pelosi in the House, issued a statement Saturday, saying he had been on his way to participate in a trans-led Pride Shabbat service connected to the march.

He said the protesters touched him multiple times and that he ultimately decided to leave the park, believing he and his staff could be in danger.

Previous Confrontations

Wiener said the incident at Dolores Park followed another confrontation two days earlier, when a man accosted him and his staff at a Mission District bar where he was watching a World Cup game.

“He screamed abuse at me and our staff before being ejected by the bar’s employees,” Wiener said in the statement, adding that the man remained outside the bar, shouting his name and pounding on the wall for several minutes.

Wiener has become a prominent figure in the pitched debates over transgender rights and US policy toward Israel.

Wiener has said he supports Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and affirmed its right to protect itself after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.

However, he has also been critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and has called for a two-state solution.

Original reporting: KRDO (Colorado Springs metro) — read the source article.